Comeuppance
by TrickyTrixx
Summary: Lila has turned the whole school against Marinette with her incessant lies. The secret hero tried her best to ignore it hoping everyone would see through the facade, but they didn't. Now it's time for her to fight back. And she knows just how to do it. Time to hit her where it hurts.


**A/N:** I've said it before. I hate Lila. Not just with the way she's horrible to everyone, especially Marinette, but because she's more of a filler character that's only there to cause trouble. We already have a super-villain terrorizing Paris. Do we really need MORE teenage angst?

Anyway, since Lila seems to never get her comeuppance, I've decided it's up to me. Enjoy. Muwhahahaha.

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Miraculous. And if I finally do get a hold of it, you'll know. Because the love square will be fixed with a great Marichat matchup!

**Don't interrupt someone working intently on a puzzle. Chances are, you'll hear some crosswords.**

* * *

Two days.

That's how long Marinette had been forced to deal with the lies spilling forth from Lila Rossi as the words corrupted her fellow classmates and tired them against her.

Everywhere she turned all Marinette saw were harsh glares from the result of whatever lie her arch-enemy had conjured up that morning. By the way Lila was leaning towards Alya, wincing and grabbing at her shoulder as if in severe pain, and the looks her _former_ best-friend was giving her, Marinette assumed she was once again to blame for another fake injury.

Just a couple days ago Marinette had sunk into a depressive slump when she had seen her classmates turn on her. Alya's glares were the hardest to ignore and she spent that first night crying herself to sleep. With how distraught she was, Marinette was astonished she wasn't akumatized. She figured that even Hawkmoth knew not to deal with teenage depression.

Now though all that she felt was anger. Anger at the betrayal she was being forced to look down on from her lonely vantage point high in the back of the room. A seat she never volunteered to be moved to. Isolated and bitter.

"-tried to be nice to her. I wanted to be her friend but she just laughed at me. Called me names." Lila's voice drifted up to where Marinette sat causing her to flinch knowing the brat was speaking just loud enough to make sure the bluenette could hear her. "She said she was going to make everyone h-hate me!" Lila made sure her sniffling was audible throughout the classroom earning Marinette even more glares, the ones coming from Alya particularly cutting.

_'That's it,' _she thought to herself. Standing, she retrieved her purse, slung her backpack over her shoulder and left the room just as the teacher entered to start the class.

"Marinette?" The young girl ignored the questioning word from her teacher. Miss Bustier had been just as bad as the rest of them, in Marinette's view. She stalked from the room seeing only the smallest flash of a pleased smirk sent her way by the lying Italian girl.

She had only reached the front entrance before she heard a voice calling her name bringing her to a stop. _His_ voice. The only one who could give her pause about what she was doing.

"Mari. Where are you going?"

With a bitter taste in her mouth, Marinette turned around to see Adrien looking at her with concern. The wide eyes and confused expression on his face, along with his head tilted slightly, gave her a minor jolt as in that moment he reminded her of Chat Noir. Though it was only a moment. One that was soon whisked away by her anger once more.

"Somewhere I am wanted!" She turned to leave again only to be brought up, a warm and larger hand grabbing hers.

"But you are wanted here."

She yanked her hand from his, ignoring the hurt look in his eyes. "No. I'm not. You told me to let it go. To not provoke the situation because you didn't want Lila to be akumatized. Did you ever think that maybe _I_ could be the one who could get akumatized? With everything happening to me? Friends turning away. _YOU _turning away? You are the only one who knows she's lying and you didn't support me at all."

Adrien was silent. True he had never considered that Marinette could be akumatized. She was always so pure and kind. He knew she could be emotional just like everyone else, but she always projected confidence and strength.

"Mari-"

"I already dodged an Akuma once. I won't let it happen again!"

Stunned at the knowledge that his friend had nearly become another of Hawkmoth's victims, he let her slip away and out the door.

* * *

For two days no one saw hide nor hair of Marinette Dupain-Cheng.

Alya, for her part, had tried stopping by the bakery to see if she could maybe get Marinette out of her funk, since she figured it was all due to her jealousy or rivalry over Lila. She really didn't understand what the big deal was with Marinette. Lila was a perfectly sweet girl and yet her best friend was abusing her? She needed some answers and to set Marinette straight.

She was therefore seriously confused when she reached the bakery and was greeted by the stone-faced father and royally ticked off mother of her friend. She had been all but kicked out of the bakery, Tom very adamant about her not being welcome back into the bakery. Now the brunette was even more thoroughly confused but decided to chalk it up to Marinette spinning a few tales to head off any potential reports on her behavior coming from the school.

Alya wished she understood why her friend had changed. Simply because Lila had a more exciting life? Because Adrien seemed to pay attention to her and not Marinette? She wanted to know but with the bluenette not answering her texts and parents barring her from the bakery, all she could do was go home and let her feelings stew.

Meanwhile, Lila had upped her game of trying to discredit Marinette and turn her classmates against her even further. With the girl gone Lila was free to create as many stories as she wanted. A small bandage over her arm where Marinette had 'clawed' her when she tried to approach her helped bring a few more people to her side.

Adrien was livid. He was growing more and more irritated and angry at the Italian girl. Badmouthing his friend while lying through her teeth was enough to make an enemy of the normally gentle blonde haired boy. The bigger surprise though was Chloe and how often she was now defending Marinette from Lila's abuse.

"Dupain-Cheng? Acting violent and taking out anger against someone? Please tell me you don't believe any of that garbage?' When no one answered and simply turned their heads in a mixture of shame she fumed. "Ridiculous. Utterly ridiculous."

It wasn't until the third day that Marinette returned to the class, though it was certainly in a most unusual way. The rest of the students had made their way into the class before any of them noticed the girl standing at the front of the room.

Miss Bustier was the last to enter the classroom and, upon hearing only silence from her students, looked around to spot Marinette leaning against her desk, the confident determination in her eyes shocking even the adult to her core.

"I wish I could tell you all I was not mad. I wish I could say to everyone that I understood. But I can't." Most of the class was confused by this point, not grasping the intended effect by her words. "You have all done something I never would have thought you being capable of." Her determined gaze turned into a harsh, piercing stare. "You all were willing to take the word of someone you didn't know and believe I could actually do some of the horrible things said about me. The lies you all believed from someone who does nothing _but _lie. Outlandish stories from someone you never knew, or bothered to see if they were lying." At that she stared directly at Alya causing the young journalist to shudder under the intense gaze.

Lila burst into tears, her fake sobs sounding quite convincing. "I-I-I don't know why you have it out for me, Marinette! All I've done is try to be a friend to you b-but," she blubbered, "all you do is attack me and call me a liar!" Alya reached over and rubbed the newer girl's back in comfort while sending Marinette a glare.

"That's because you _are_ a liar." Turning towards the door, Marinette called out calmly. "Monsieur Stone? Please join us."

The class gasped in shock at the sight of Jagged Stone, the infamous rockstar, walking into their classroom. Even Miss Bustier, who had been getting ready to end Marinette's attack on her student, was speechless.

"Hello my fans!" A few of the children were able to give a small wave in response but most sat frozen in their seats. "I heard a few things about what was being said about my dear Marinette and I wanted to stop by and say that's totally un-rock n roll of you all. She's the sweetest and most talented girl I've ever met and anyone who isn't able to see that is no true fan of mine." He turned his eyes towards the girl in the front row, fixing her with a dead glare. "And I do believe one of you has been totally un-rock n roll, inventing claims regarding myself and I'm here to set that record straight."

Lila gulped heavily.

"A miss Rossi claims she saved my cat from being run over by a plane. Let me tell you right now, as I have stated before in many interviews about why I have Fang as a pet, I am deathly allergic to dander. Any sort of furry animal makes me break out and Penny carries an Epi-pen just in case I'm, oh you know, _dying_. That's why Fang is so rock n' roll! Crocodile plus no dander. It's so totally cool! Also," he continued over the sudden whispering going on between students, "I've never written a song about any young girl, unless you count Ladybug. So no, no sweet ballads coming from this rock n roll star!"

Marinette, taking advantage of the stunned silence brought upon by Jagged's statement about his pet, hooked up her phone to the class projector. Completely ignoring the fact that Adrien was her current wallpaper, something the golden-haired boy in the front row certainly did _not_ miss, she keyed up a video that made the entire class gasp in shock.

"Hello everyone!" Ladybug's cheerful voice and smile had everyone enraptured almost immediately, especially Adrien who looked on in a dreamlike state. "I wanted to clear up a few things that a good friend of mine brought to my attention. Lila Rossi, a classmate of yours I believe, has been saying she was a personal friend of mine and someone who I have saved on multiple occasions. As I had already explained to Mlle Rossi once before, I am not her friend. I had never met Mlle Rossi prior to her claiming to be a close friend and the only 'saving' I have participated in in regards to Lila is having to de-akumatize her on more than one occasion."

Ladybug's voice, which had become sterner during the explanation, narrowed her eyes and leaned in. A much darker tone replaced the stern lecturing one. "I would have expected to have been asked about this much earlier since the girl who runs the LadyBlog isn't known for spreading stories without checking the facts. I may have to rethink who I speak to in the future."

Alya, who had started turning red as soon as her blog had been mentioned, began silently crying, the tears tracking down her cheeks in shame and regret.

Marinette though wasn't finished. After turning off the video, she brought up two sets of pictures. One which showed Lila as Volpina when she had first been akumatized and another that was taken at a further distance but with still much clarity. Everyone in the room immediately recognized the scene they remembered from Heroes Day when a fake ladybug 'killed' an illusion of Chat Noir to spread depressive emotions for Hawkmoth to feed upon.

Marinette zoomed in to show a familiar person standing on a rooftop near where the illusionary battle had taken place. Side by side comparisons told everyone _exactly_ who had been there and nearly every head in the room turned towards Lila.

Nobody spoke for several seconds, but then Miss Bustier sent a look towards the stunned girl, a look that was part questioning and part glare. "I see that you were not quite truthful about where you were on Heroes Day, Lila. I'm afraid I shall have to bring this to Mr. Damocles and ask your parents why you were claiming to be abroad."

Lila shrunk back, unable to meet the teacher's gaze or look around at her classmates who were now beside themselves in anger.

Barely anyone noticed a third person enter the room until the sound of someone clearing their throat reached their ears. Snapping their gaze to the door, the entire class fell silent. Not even the scratch of a pencil against the wood sounded.

"Agent Bernard. I am here to bring in a miss Lila Rossi about her claimed trespass onto an airport runway as that is a serious criminal offense." Lila shrunk even further into her seat, a look of sheer panic making its way onto her face. "Due to you being a minor I have called your mother to be a witness while we take you for questioning."

A thud echoed across the room as Lila fainted.


End file.
